'This is what democracy looks like': Thousands march in Little Rock against gun violence

Police estimated that at least 3,000 people participated in a march against gun violence in Little Rock on Saturday, March 24, 2018.
Police estimated that at least 3,000 people participated in a march against gun violence in Little Rock on Saturday, March 24, 2018.

Thousands of people marched toward the steps of Arkansas’ Capitol building Saturday, brandishing signs against gun violence and chanting, “This is what democracy looks like.”

A police officer at the scene estimated between 3,000 to 3,500 people were participating in the protest, one of many happening across the United States on Saturday.

The demonstrations were set in motion after a mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., left 17 people dead in February. Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have reinvigorated a movement to ban military-style firearms and enact stricter regulations on gun purchases.

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Photos by Polly Irungu

In Little Rock, 18-year-old speaker Chris Kingsby urged people to register to vote. He called out two of Arkansas' congressional representatives — U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton and U.S. Rep French Hill — and said if they do not support restrictions on firearms, their voters will remember that “at the ballot box.”

“Vote them out! Vote them out!” chanted the crowd.

“Not voting isn’t rebellion. It’s surrender,” said Wylie Greer, a student speaker from Greenbrier High School. Greer said he was one of three students who participated in a nationwide school walkout March 14. He was punished for it, he said, but he plans to do so again in April.

Read Sunday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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